Streaming service Hulu might not get all the attention that Netflix or HBO does, but it’s turning out some quality shows that rival the big networks and streaming services alike. Here are 10 Hulu original series you should add to your list of binge-worthy titles.
10. “The Hotwives of Orlando”
Sending up reality TV shows about real housewives, “The Hotwives of Orlando” is has some great casting, including Kristen Schaal of “Bob’s Burgers” and “Last Man on Earth,” and Angela Kinsey of “The Office.” It constantly gets to the best absurdity of reality TV with some great, ridiculous characters.
9. “Chance”
Hugh Laurie is a neurologist who gets mixed up with a mentally ill woman and her corrupt cop husband. He enlists Ethan Suplee to basically be his Liam Neeson from “Taken” to help stop the cop. Watching Laurie deal with his out-of-control life and Suplee deliver intense, subdued violence makes “Chance” worth checking out.
8. “The Wrong Mans”
A mix-up finds a pair of goofy government office workers mixed up in a kidnapping plot in Hulu’s British comedy. James Corden is especially hilarious as a mailroom clerk excited to get wrapped up in an adventure with unreliable fellow office lackey Matthew Baynton.
7. “11.22.63”
Based on the Stephen King novel, “11.22.63” follows James Franco as he travels back in time to stop JFK’s assassination. Franco plays a great everyman driven by a sense of duty to spend years in the ’60s, and the setbacks he encounters — including occasionally supernatural ones — keep the mini-series boiling all the way through.
6. “Shut Eye”
An organized crime drama that’s kinda funny and a bit supernatural. “Shut Eye” is about grifters posing as psychics in Los Angeles, until Jeffrey Donovan (FX’s “Fargo”) hits his head and starts to actually see the future for real. Family drama gets out of control, as do murderous crime bosses.
5. “Casual”
A depressed bachelor brother, a divorced sister, and her teenager struggle to figure out relationships in Hulu’s quick-witted comedy. Dating is a comedic mess no matter what, “Casual” digs in through a lens of online matchups and one-night stands with some fun characters to find even more hilarity.
4. “Harlots”
Set in late 1700s London, “Harlots” finds drama in the feud between rival brothels, both run by often-cutthroat women in a city where one in five women is a sex worker. “Harlots” has a phenomenal cast and some rock and roll sensibilities, but the best parts are the constant struggles against London’s patriarchal and classist society.
3. “Difficult People”
Billy Eichner and Julie Klausner verbally tear apart everybody as a pair of ruthless New York comedians struggling to catch a break. Though they can’t help making fun of everyone, Billy and Julie are also constantly struggling with whether they should be nicer — even though they just can’t bring themselves to be.
2. “The Path”
Things are spiraling out of control in the cult known as Meyerism in Hulu’s drama, which now has two seasons on hulu. Aaron Paul loses his faith and tries to get out, leaving behind his family of believers — but he’s still having weird religious visions. And Hugh Dancy is an unhinged cult leader who’s losing control and slipping back into alcoholism at an alarming rate.
1. “The Handmaid’s Tale”
A dystopian world that subjugates women is the setting for “The Handmaid’s Tale.” There, handmaids — the few fertile women in the wake of a global epidemic that has slashed birth rates — are forced to bear children for the leaders of an authoritarian religious regime. The dark series’ focus on the feminist struggle of Elizabeth Moss feels especially poignant in today’s political climate.
Looking for more great streaming shows? Check out our list of the very best 24 series on Netflix.
And get the rest of the best in TV with this list of the top original shows from HBO.
